(Bloomberg) -- The TransAsia AirwaysCorp. plane that crashed in Taipei last year went down afterits pilots failed to take the right actions following a series ofcontributing factors including an engine fault, investigatorsfound.

The many factors culminated in a stall-induced loss of controlby the pilots, according to a final report on the crash issuedThursday by the Taiwan Aviation Safety Council. The fatal accidentcould have been prevented if the crew had prioritized actions tostabilize the aircraft’s flight path, correctly identify themalfunction, and take appropriate steps, the report said.

Flight GE235 plunged into a river near Taipeion Feb. 4, 2015, after the pilot lost contact within minutes aftertakeoff, killing 43 of the 58 people on board. The final reportreinforces findings issued in July last year that an engine faultin the turbo-propeller plane triggered a series of pilot errorsthat eventually crashed the aircraft.

Flight crew failures

“The flight crew did not perform the documented abnormal andemergency procedures to identify the failure and implement therequired corrective actions” following an uncommanded autofeather,or engine adjustment, the report said.

The twin-engine ATR 72-600 aircraft, carrying 53 passengersand five crew, took off in the morning from Songshan domesticairport in downtown Taipei on an hour-long flight to the island ofKinmen off mainland China.

The pilot made a distress call, saying “ Mayday, mayday, engineflameout,” two minutes after being given the go-ahead to take off,according to a recording of air traffic control communications. Helost contact with ground within four minutes.

Footage taken from a dashboard-mounted camera in a car showedthe plane’s wings tilted at a steep angle as it swerved over abridge, with one tip clipping a taxi and the railing beforeplunging into the Keelung River.

The investigation team included members from planemaker ATR,engine-maker Pratt & Whitney, its parent United TechnologiesCorp., the French aviation safety agency, as well as the Canadianand U.S. transportation safety boards, according to the report.

Safety proposals

External public-relations consultants handling communications forATR and Pratt & Whitney didn’t immediately respond to e-mailsseeking comments.

The report made some safety recommendations, including toTransAsia and the engine makers. These included having a clearcompany policy for TransAsia with instructions and training on arequirement to reject a takeoff in the event that the automatictake off power control system isn’t armed as required; conducting athorough review of flight crew training programs, and implementingan effective and formal review to identify and manage pilots whoseperformance is marginal.

Investigators proposed United Technologies and Pratt &Whitney work with engine and aircraft manufacturers to assess risksassociated with the related autofeather unit to minimize or preventoccurrences of uncommanded autofeather.

This deadly incident came less than a year after anotherTransAsia plane went down in July 2014, killing48 people, with 10 surviving. That crash occurred after the pilotscouldn’t find the runway seconds before their plane, also an ATR 72twin-engine turbo-propeller aircraft, slammed down on Taiwan’soutlying Penghu islands, according to an accident report.

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